[Tfug] Got a text formatting/database question ("bash" it to hell?)

[Ryan Cresawn]

Jim,

grep -v 170 file.dat | wc -l

Ryan

On Tuesday, April 14, 2009, Jim March <1.jim.march at gmail.com> wrote:
> Guys,
>
> I have an interesting database problem that I think can be solved on
> the command line in one shot.  But I don't know how :(.
>
> I have a comma separated values text file.  Each line shows a voter ID
> number and an election ID number they voted in.  NOT who they voted
> for, and not their names, just that they voted in that election (cast
> a ballot at all, even if blank).
>
> There are multiple elections a given voter likely voted for.  So
> here's the section for two voter IDs (first column) and the elections
> they voted in (second column) plus the method used to vote (third
> column) if it was early or mail-in (which I can ignore).  In pasting
> it to EMail (from Openoffice spreadsheet used as a quick viewer)
> they're separated by spaces but in the original data it's commas.
>
> ---
> 233     2
> 233     3
> 233     4
> 233     5
> 233     6
> 233     7
> 233     31
> 233     32
> 233     38
> 233     41
> 233     45
> 233     55
> 233     57
> 233     95
> 233     96
> 235     2
> 235     3
> 235     4
> 235     5
> 235     6
> 235     7
> 235     31      Early Ballot
> 235     32      Early Ballot
> 235     38
> 235     45
> 235     55
> 235     57      Early Ballot
> 235     95      Early Ballot
> 235     96      Early Ballot
> 235     125
> 235     126     Early Ballot
> 235     143
> 235     147     Early Ballot
> 235     148     Early Ballot
> 235     170     Early Ballot
> ---
>
> So what I want to do is, strip out every line that does NOT have a
> "170" in the second column, and then produce a line count.  I need to
> know (like ASAP) how many people voted in election 170 as that's the
> 2006 RTA special election in Pima County now subject to a recount.
> And then I can do a second pass using the same technique and find out
> how many people filed an early ballot by stripping out those and
> counting lines again (and doing basic subtraction).
>
> Help?  This is about a criminal ivestigation going on right now
> regarding this election...
>
> Thanks!
>
> Jim March
>
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